Method and apparatus for awarding a bonus via a cashless network

Abstract

A gaming machine award system acts over a gaming machine network having a plurality of gaming devices coupled thereto. The award system includes a bonus server coupled to the network and having stored thereon a trigger condition. A game play tracker tracks game play across the network of gaming devices and detects an occurrence of the trigger condition. The bonus server sends out a selection signal over the network to a selected gaming machine responsive to the detected trigger condition. A printer associated with the selected gaming machine is structured to generate printed output responsive to receipt of said selection signal. The printed ticket is a cashless instrument that may be redeemed or played per the nature and characteristics of the award given.

1 . A gaming machine award system, comprising: 
 a plurality of gaming devices coupled over a network;    a bonus server coupled to the network and having stored thereon a trigger condition;    means for tracking game play across the network of gaming devices and detecting said trigger condition, said bonus server sending out a selection signal over the network to a selected gaming machine responsive to the detected trigger condition;    a printer associated with the selected gaming machine, said printer structured to generate printed output responsive to receipt of said selection signal.    
   
   
       2 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 1 , wherein said printed output is a ticket having printed indicia on the ticket indicating an award and printed electronic identification associated with said printed indicia award in a database coupled to the gaming network.  
   
   
       3 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 2 , further including a ticket reader at each of the gaming devices adapted to read said printed electronic identification and redeem said award at said gaming device.  
   
   
       4 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 3 , further including means adapted to add credits to a player account balance responsive to an insertion of the ticket into the ticket reader.  
   
   
       5 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 3 , wherein the credits are redeemable.  
   
   
       6 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 3 , wherein the credits can be used to reimburse a played wager.  
   
   
       7 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 3 , wherein the credits can be used responsive to a played game.  
   
   
       8 . A gaming machine award system, comprising: 
 a plurality of gaming devices, one of the plurality of gaming devices being selectable as a winning gaming device;    a network connecting the plurality of gaming devices;    a first selector to select said winning gaming device;    a second selector to select a subset of the plurality of gaming devices, not including said winning gaming device, as celebration devices;    a ticket printer coupled to each of the plurality of gaming devices and structured to generate printed output based on a signal received from the first or second selectors;    a transmitter to transmit messages to said subset of the plurality of gaming devices, each message instructing a printer of a recipient gaming devices to generate printed output.    
   
   
       9 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 8 , wherein the printed output resulting from receipt at the gaming device of the transmitter message is a ticket having no printed information representative of the value of the ticket.  
   
   
       10 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 9 , each gaming machine including a ticket identification mechanism in which tickets inserted in the ticket identification mechanism cause a trigger whereby an award associated with the ticket is granted to a player of the machine.  
   
   
       11 . A method for printing tickets at gaming devices that are interconnected by a gaming network to a host computer, the method comprising: 
 storing a trigger condition at a host computer;    tracking game play across the network of the gaming devices;    detecting said trigger condition and sending out a selection signal over the network to a selected gaming machine responsive to the detected trigger condition; and    generating printed output responsive to receipt of said selection signal.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein generating printed output comprises generating a ticket at the selected gaming device.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein generating printed output comprises generating a winning ticket at the selected gaming device, and generating a celebration ticket at a selected subset of the gaming devices.  
   
   
       14 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 13 , wherein the printed output resulting from receipt at the gaming device of the transmitter message is a ticket having no printed information representative of the value of the ticket.  
   
   
       15 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 11 , further including accepting the printed output at a gaming machine and awarding a bonus associated with said printed output.  
   
   
       16 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 15 , where awarding a bonus comprises applying credits to a player account at the selected gaming machine.  
   
   
       17 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 15 , where awarding a bonus comprises applying credits to a playable-only credits meter at the selected gaming machine.  
   
   
       18 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 15 , where awarding a bonus comprises applying credits to a player account only if the printed output was accepted at the gaming machine within a redeemable time period.  
   
   
       19 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 18 , wherein the redeemable time period includes a preestablished start time that occurs after a time at which the printed matter was generated at the selected gaming machine.  
   
   
       20 . The gaming machine award system of  claim 11 , further including: 
 generating an ID code associated with the printed matter and printing said ID code on the ticket;    accepting the printed matter at a gaming machine and reading the ID code;    allowing play to occur on the gaming machine for a play session; and    generating a second ticket having an ID code associated with the play session and the first such ID code.